Ratnamani Metals & Tubes Ltd. welded its foundations in 1983 as a small-scale undertaking with big ambitions. In 1985, just two years after its inception, the company began producing and selling steel pipes and tubes to smaller enterprises. From then on, Ratnamani gradually and intentionally expanded its footprint through innovation and consistency. Three decades later, it established itself as one of India’s most respected providers of critical tubing and piping solutions across core sectors like automobile, oil & gas, and solar power.
Carrying its vision to attain global excellence, Ratnamani recognized the need to bring the same level of efficiency to its boardroom, specifically its meeting processes.
The Problem: Paper-based Processes Slowing Down Progress
Before adopting Convene, Ratnamani’s board meetings resembled a paper chase as they relied heavily on large, printed agendas to keep everything on track. These documents, according to Anil Maloo, Company Secretary and Legal Head, used to take a lot of time and effort to prepare. But the team’s concern didn’t stop there. Not only were they cumbersome, but they also limited flexibility. Any updates or revisions had to be re-circulated by hand, often causing delays and frustration.
For a company operating at Ratnamani’s scale, efficiency and accuracy were paramount. As such, the leadership needed a solution that would simplify board workflows, enhance collaboration, and ensure that critical information could be accessed securely and on time.
The Search for a Seamless, Intuitive Board Technology
Ratnamani has always believed in staying ahead through technology. Over the years, the company has deployed proven, well-accepted innovations across its production and testing facilities to keep pace with industry improvements—and they wanted the same thing for their board.
More than four years ago, Ratnamani began evaluating digital board portal solutions. The team compared multiple providers and carefully weighed the strengths of each one. “We compared Convene with other solutions available and found that it has a better user interface,” Maloo explains.
Upon identifying Convene as a strong fit, they tested the software through a free trial and saw firsthand how effectively it supported their workflows. He continued, “Once we were accustomed to the features, we decided to purchase [Convene]. We do not regret our decision.”
Convene also provided seamless onboarding and ongoing assistance. The confidence in both the product and its support team has reinforced Ratnamani’s trust in their choice, ensuring smooth adoption across the company.
The Solution: Convene as a Driver of Board Efficiency
Over the past four years, Ratnamani has embraced new levels of efficiency in their board operations with Convene as their partner:
Ease of Use and Accessibility
For a board solution to succeed, it must be simple enough for directors and administrators alike to adopt quickly. Convene stood out with its intuitive design and ease of navigation. “Convene has all the [good] features that a board meeting portal [can provide]. It is quite easy to use and easy to understand the features,” says Maloo.
Previously, organizing board packs was a time-consuming, paper-heavy task that could take an entire day, causing delays and leaving little room for directors to prepare in advance. “Convene has helped in solving these problems,” he noted. “Agenda papers can be uploaded through a few clicks, and these can be accessed by the participants.”
Aside from the ease of agenda preparation and compiling, Convene’s functionality is also enjoyed by the board members in preparing for meetings. With its features, Convene has allowed board members to access board packs easily before the meeting. “The management can give their comments and observations prior to the meeting. Hence, we are prepared to discuss their concerns during meetings.”
Today, agenda papers for several meetings are uploaded seamlessly, ensuring participants can access them in real time, from anywhere.
Improved Collaboration and Engagement
For Ratnamani, Convene isn’t just a repository for meeting papers—it actively enhances collaboration within the organization. This is reflected in the Annotations, Actions, and Sticky Notes features of the board portal being among the most frequently used. These tools allow directors to annotate documents directly, share feedback instantly, and track follow-up actions without relying on external processes. With this level of engagement, the quality of discussions and decisions during meetings has immensely improved.
Just as important, all of this happens in a secure environment. Convene protects sensitive board information with role-based access controls, enterprise-level encryption, and secure document signing. This means directors can collaborate freely and confidently, knowing that their discussions and documents are kept safe and accessible only to the right people.
Paperless and More Efficient Operations
Ratnamani recognizes the challenges that come with being part of the steel industry and has consistently taken steps to reduce its footprint. By gradually shifting toward renewable energy and adopting cleaner practices, the company is showing that growth and responsibility can move forward together.
In line with this focus on sustainability, Ratnamani also looked for ways to cut waste in its meeting processes. One of the biggest shifts for Ratnamani has been the move to paperless meetings. By eliminating bulky printed agendas, the company has reduced costs, improved efficiency, and, more importantly, made a greener impact.
As Maloo puts it: “Paperless meetings are a blessing to the environment.”
Ratnamani is Ready for What’s Next with Convene
Ratnamani draws strength from technical excellence, a highly skilled team, and a culture of continuous innovation. These qualities have been the backbone of its success for decades, and they continue to guide the company as it embraces new ways of working.
The company is now going through the process of onboarding additional members onto Convene. As it starts scaling up and expanding usage, Ratnamani continues to explore new ways to enhance collaboration and governance efficiency.
After four years of partnership, Ratnamani Metals remains convinced that it made the right choice with Convene. Maloo summarizes the experience in simple but powerful terms:
“Convene is futuristic and fantastic as a board meeting solution. […] We would definitely recommend [having] Convene.”
Like steel, good governance must be built to last. Schedule a call with us today to learn how Convene can deliver strength, efficiency, and sustainability to your board processes and forge stronger board governance.
